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Forum Discussion
Search not working
Dropbox search can’t find anything. The files, however, are there. How can I make Dropbox find them or reindex them???
- Solved. Miraculously the search tool is finding files again after going on an unexplained weeks-long holiday.
If anyone else experiences this problem, try waiting it out. 🤷♂️
The Dropbox search function hasn't been working on my computer or phone for the first time in all my years using Dropbox. It has been about 24 hours now, and I am STILL waiting for Dropbox to resolve the issue. The customer service is quite slow and their specialist has still not gotten back to me (the chat agent was very helpful but couldn't resolve it after troubleshooting). It just keeps saying "no search results found" despite these being commonly searched files. It's clearly an error on Dropbox's end. The agent had me check another browser and incognito windows...same thing. I also logged out and logged in, nothing. Restarted my computer, nothing. On the phone app, every search just says "zero results." I just wanted to register this here.
Hello Dropbox Team,
It is Thursday morning, and I have been experiencing this exact same issue all week. It has happened to me once before, and the solution suggested was to clear my cache, which I have done three times this week, and it has not helped. This is significantly slowing down my ability to work and is very frustrating. Any updates on the situation would be much appreciated.
Thank you,
Simon
Hi Nancy,
Thank you very much for replying. It's really hard to believe that Dropbox is actually working on resolving this major issue because no one reaches out to give updates (I keep having to post here). But I really appreciate your message; thank you.
I'm sorry you're having the same issue, Simon. It's apparently a known Dropbox issue that the engineering team "is working on."
- Since my last update there has been a change in the Dropbox app for iPhone. I’m looking for specific files inside my Dropbox and enter the exact filename but still they don’t show up. Before the update everything worked well.
I’m experiencing exactly the same issue, on iPhone app, on iPad app and in Safari web browser too which makes it highly likely that the problem exists on Dropbox’s end. Have just made the iPad and iPhone app update today and issue persists including in the web version. Disappointed, I’m paying a prime price for Dropbox expecting a prime service!
“Since my last update there has been a change in the Dropbox app for iPhone. I’m looking for specific files inside my Dropbox and enter the exact filename but still they don’t show up. Before the update everything worked well”
- Walter
Dropbox Staff
Hey mpintomali & Lorca55 - sorry to hear you're having issues with the search function in your Dropbox accounts.
Can you please send us a screenshot with a sample search term and the results you'd expect to find and clarify how long have you been having this issue?
Also, mpintomali if you could share your ticket's ID, it would help us locate it in our system.
Keep us posted!
Thank you for your reply, Walter. The search function is still completely not working on either phone or computer, and Dropbox customer service has been awful. It is now Tuesday and the problem started on Sunday. This is the ticket: https://www.dropbox.com/support/ticket/18158800 (there is an image attached). John, the Dropbox specialist, said it's a known issue but left open when it will be resolved. It's quite frustrating, since I feel like I'm paying for a service that I'm not receiving and that I very much need. The search function has worked flawlessly for years, and I've searched for numerous files and folders. Now, anything I search comes up as "No search items found" (computer) or "No results" (phone).
If there is anything you can do to assist, I would be deeply appreciative. Thank you.
serach still cant find existing files
i finally fixed the issue with just change the lang to english original.
insert of other country lang.
so stupid bug.
I have used dropbox for several years for my business. Yesterday I suddenly could not search for files in dropbox. I would type the name of the person's file and it would not come up, even though I know it is there. I can find the file if I know where to look for it, but I cannot search in the dropbox search bar. I logged out and logged in, updated my computer, all the things. Help please. This is so annoying.
Hi friends,
This past few days, my team hasn't been able to use the search box successfully using keywords that are in the filename. Sometimes it works if we type in the exact file name with the exact capitalization. This is very frustrating as we don't remember the exact filenames and have thousands of files that we work with daily. We've been able to use keywords to search for the file until the last few days. Is this a bug? Is there something that compromises the search function?
Any idea how to search files using keywords again?
Thanks!
- Walter
Hey elsieljane, sorry to hear you're having issues with this.
Could you let us know if you're facing this problem on the mobile app, the desktop app or if it happens when you're using our website?
If it's not too much to ask, can you also send us a screenshot of a sample search showing this behavior?
Any additional information is more than welcome!
Hi Walter,
Thank you so much for your help here.
We are using the website and not the app or desktop. It's a shared folder with multiple teams in our workplace.
I can't discern the pattern. Sometimes the search produces no result, and sometimes it produces part of the results, but not a complete list.
Appreciate your insights on what we can do to make the search function as it should again.
Example 1) searching for 'new age care' in the file title, a zero result or randomly sometimes the correct file with the exact capitalization
Example 2) searching for ColCare file with Orlando and Cape that we know we have, we had to scroll the folder without searching to find the files. The search using 'orlando' and 'cape' as keywords produced partial results but didn't include the desired files
Search is not working for us. We use Zapier search zap functions, and those aren't working either. We reached out, but they directed us to you since they use the same search function on your site. Files are there, no results. All apps are up to date. We're only searching online, and no need for mobile.
- Desktop app and mobile iPhone app can’t find a single file. (The mobile app, which I had been using exclusively, used to find everything.) I can, however, find files using a simple Windows explorer search.
- LusilAre you running the latest versions of the mobile app and the desktop app?
Also, could you make sure that there there are no pending updates on your devices?
I think I discovered something re: Dropbox search problems.
Problem seems to be with photos/files added to Dropbox via the laptop app - maybe an indexing issue with desktop app?
Within the last week or so, files added via DB laptop app are wholly unsearchable in the Dropbox website (whether in Chrome or Edge).
Photos/files uploaded to Dropbox via the iPhone app SEEM to search fine in the DB website and in the DB laptop app; It's the ones added via the laptop app that do not show up in responsive searches on the website - whether on Chrome or Edge.
Can Dropbox just focus on the laptop app indexing and solve the problem so we who are paying for their services can get some meaningful and thorough work done without constant backtracking and double-checking?
Thanks!
And also seems to be a problem with any photo/file moved in the last few weeks. In the DB website I just moved a completely search-responsive file that's been on Dropbox for years from one folder to another and now it's no longer searchable and does not show up in any simple search that should catch it. Not sure how to proceed working on Dropbox.
- Why does the move function detect a file that a simple search does not?I searched for a photo to see what folder(s) it was in. The results indicated that the photo was not in folder A, so I decided to move the same photo from another folder to Folder A. I got a message that photo "already exists" in Folder A, even though the search results did not show the photo was in Folder A. The "already exists" message absolutley proves that the photo was in the folder I was searching for all along.So annoying and such a waste of time.........searching for a photo to see if it's in folder A, getting search results that say it is not in Folder A, deciding to move that photo (with same file name) from another folder to Folder A, only to find out the photo was there all along.Can someone at Dropbox help me (and all the other folks that have the probems)?
- Megan
Hi amcoffice, thanks for posting here!
Interesting finds, and behavior! Which version of the Dropbox app do you use on your desktop?
Also, if you have any screenshots, feel free to send them over so I can also have visual too! Have you contacted our Support about this, by any chance? If so, do you happen to have a ticket number, so I can locate it on my system?
Thanks a bunch!
P.S. Dropbox desktop app No. 159.4.5870
Hi team,
I am also facing the same issue after updating to Dropbox beta.
Confirm: Alfred isn't able to locate Dropbox files even if they are available offline.
The search functions from the Web does not work when the files are there. Please help me cos it is frustrating when you are doing urgent work
- Walter
I see that the incident page claims that the search problem was resolved October 20, which is absolutely not true. When I saw that, the first thing I did was run the same (simple) search that triggered the problem for me. Search still does not find that document.
I'd rather not waste more time posting about the problem all over again (but I will if necessary), much less be hampered in my work projects any longer, please reopen the search problem case and have completely fix Dropbox search.
Thank you
